Not long after Angelina Jolie revealed to the world she had undergone a double mastectomy as a preventative measure against breast cancer, the enormity of her doing that became obvious to me in an unexpectedly personal way.
I was at a wedding talking to a girl who I hadn’t seen for a few years. Our husbands are friends and whilst it wouldn’t be accurate to say we share an especially close friendship – as will become clear – we knew each other well enough that on recapping on the intervening few years, our conversation turned to breast surgery. And, more specifically, why before the age of 30 she had undergone a double mastectomy.
The decision, the surgery and everything else in between had been and was fraught, complex and teeming with uncertainty. As she explained, in a matter of fact way, how and why it was necessary and what it entailed I was struck by the uniqueness of the situation.
She had not endured a tragedy yet she had endured a loss. She wasn’t sick but illness and disease were lingering in the background. Technically she had opted for a positive, preventative medical measure, but I doubt anyone would describe the experience as solely positive. It was a gigantic life event but in which folder is it filed?
I was filled with awe and admiration for what she had navigated and it reminded me how little our eyes can see. The experience and surgery had left an indelible mark on her body and her life, but it was largely invisible.
Can you imagine after going through this complicated and private procedure, one of the world’s most famous women openly talking about why and how she had also undergone a similar treatment? For my friend, it was profound.
Overnight there was an international conversation and a public reference point for what had been a tangled private experience. Having the issue recognised in the public domain wasn’t valuable because this woman wanted to necessarily talk to the world about it. But the fact it was being talked about openly made the experience less isolating and more accessible to deal with on a daily basis. In the realm of far-from-straight-forward medical situations that is a big improvement.
Angelina Jolie has today written an opinion piece in The New York Times explaining why a recent cancer scare led her to have her ovaries removed:
TWO years ago I wrote about my choice to have a preventive double mastectomy. A simple blood test had revealed that I carried a mutation in the BRCA1 gene. It gave me an estimated 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer. I lost my mother, grandmother and aunt to cancer.
I wanted other women at risk to know about the options. I promised to follow up with any information that could be useful, including about my next preventive surgery, the removal of my ovaries and fallopian tubes.
She is thorough, frank and thoughtful in explaining how and why she and her doctors decided on the procedure and its not-insignificant side-effects.
She captures, very well I think, the uncertainty involved in these types of decisions and is very honest about the fear and emotion that accompanies it. She talks about navigating these decisions and appointments around her family’s regular life.
Angelina Jolie is not obliged to divulge her medical situation to anyone. The fact she does so is incredibly generous and immensely valuable.
As I read her personal missive today I was reminded of the difference she had made to just one young woman on the other side of the world two years ago. Imagine that replicated the world over? Not just for people who might need preventative surgeries like hers but for anyone who is dealing with a complicated and scary medical diagnosis. Super star doesn’t even cover it.